Red Consultancy head of healthcare Pat Pearson is leaving the company after four years to start his own consultancy.

At the same time, Ketchum Pleon MD of European client services Sebastien Desprez is to depart the agency after nine years to take up a director position at GlaxoSmithKline.

As PRWeek went to press, Pearson and Desprez were both finalising the details of their notice periods with their employers.

Pearson joined Red Health in 2007 to lead the practice, going on to play a pivotal role in making the agency a key player in the healthcare space. He previously worked at Ruder Finn and the Department of Health.

On his departure, the current director of ethical healthcare and number two at Red Health, Paul Gittins, will take on the managing director role.

Commenting on the changes at Red, group MD Amanda Duncan said the company would continue to work with Pearson on consultancy projects: 'We've contracted an amount of his consultancy time once he has left our full-time employment.'

Desprez is set to join GSK as product comms director for the pharma giant's oncology portfolio.

Commenting on the move, he said: 'I started my PR career in-house and I have wanted to go back to my roots for some time. With GSK at the top of my wish list, when this opportunity arose I knew it was right.'

UK healthcare MD Amanda Sefton will continue to lead Ketchum's UK healthcare business while a search for a senior healthcare director is conducted.